Workmen's advocate., 1887-11-12
LABOR POLITICS
FOUNDED UPON A LABOR
 UNION BASIS.
The Evolution of the Trades Union. Why Politics Were TabOOed-A Change-The Proposition
 of the MetalWOrkers'
 Official Organ.

Conditions as they prevailed a number of years ago demanded that political discussions should be kept out of all trades-unlon meetings. The number of workingmen who were convinced of the necessity of a well-disciplined, thoroughly organ iaed, and independent Labor Party, was insignificant tt those times. The discussion of political questions would have resulted disastrously to the unions. There were too many members of those organizations ad- herring firmly to the republican" and "democratic" parties, and if they had been asked to sever their connection with those bodies, dlssen- sions and trouble would have been the immediate result. But mean while the workingmen of this coun- try have learned to think for them selves, and they have made great deal of progress toward coming to logical conclusions from what they observe among their surroundings. But small number of unions exist to-day whose members are not yet convinced that Labor must go into politics if the workingman's condi- tion is to be improved. It Is for this reason that, in general, it is not detrimental to the existence of a union if, now and then, politics IS discussed at their meetings, or even if action be taken regarding political questions. Many trade organizations have even embarked upon the field of political action altogether, and their members are represented, by delegates, in separate political organi- cations, having for their especial purpose to elect men to the legisla- lures and executive offices of the people, who will make and enforce laws calculated to bring about a change for the better for the op- pressed working classes.
 But, as we see by the late events in different States where the work ingmen have gone into political elec- ton campaigns, there is one great danger to which the political organi- zations of the workingmen are eX- posed: It is too easy for professional politicians to creep into, and manage such organizations for their own per sonal and selfish ends. Only look to New York where there is most re- grettable split among the politically inclined workingmen because Henry George, man who, heretofore, has been considered to be honest and above reproach, has been used by the professional wire-pullers sur rounding him to tear asunder the band of brotherhood and unity which the workingmen of the great metrop- oils, after overcoming great difficult ties and hard work, had succeeded in welding apparently so firmly that it seemed as If our New York breth- ren were already nearing their eman- cipation from thering-rule of munic- ipal corruption at least. But Henry George, by his action, has dispelled even this faint hope, as mn have been placed in nomination, through his instrumentality, who have never been working in the ranks of those whose lives have been devoted to the only aim of emancipating the suffer ing proetarians-men, who know nothing of the historical develop ment of the labor movement, and who, as they plainly show it, would never assist in carrying out the log ical consequences of the laborlng mems demands.
 Thus it has become evident that, as soon as the methods of the old political parties are initiated, the same results, mistakes and crimes as they are produced by the evolutions of the latter, must be brought forth by the political machinery of the